2013 Pahlmeyer Malbec 1.5L

Every now and then we come across a wine – a singular block, or perhaps a distinct barrel – that is so extraordinary, it demands to be set apart from our master blend of Proprietary Red. The wildness, purity and raw intensity of this Malbec called to stand alone in a solo bottling.

Estate grown at the pinnacle of the vineyard, 2,200 feet above Napa Valley and higher than the fog line, this peak is exposed to piercing, unfiltered sunlight. This ‘luminosity’ is critical to developing anthocyanins, the pigment responsible for the wine’s deep, opaque purple color. Cold winds from the San Francisco Bay whip across these two blocks planted with the only known cuttings from Dominus vineyard. Here, the “rock outcrop” volcanic soils are so nutrient poor that the fifteen-year-old vines are stunted and thin-trunked, remincient of bonsai trees.

This Malbec has deep, inky black and garnet color. Aromas of sweet plum, blackberry and black cherry with distinct notes of chocolate carry over onto a juicy palate, where the ripe, full body is supported by firm, balanced tannins. This wine should age beautifully for another 20 to 30 years.